Jean le Maingre

Jean le Maingre (28 August 1366-21 June 1421) was a Marshal of France during the Hundred Years' War, renowned for his military skill during the war with England.

Biography
Jean le Maingre was born on 28 August 1366, and he served as a page of King Charles VI of France and Duke Louis II of Bourbon, becoming a knight at the age of sixteen. In 1384, he headed to Prussia to take part in the fight against the pagans of Lithuania, and he also took part in campaigns against the Moors in Spain and the rebellious County of Toulouse. In 1390, he defeated the most famous soldiers of the Kingdom of England in single combat at the tournament of Saint-Inglevert, and on 25 December 1391 King Charles VI made him "Marshal of France" for his continued service as a crusader in the Baltics. In 1396, he was captured in the Battle of Nicopolis by Sultan Bayezid I of Turkey, but he escaped execution and was later ransomed. In 1399, he was sent with six ships and 1,200 troops to assist the Byzantine Empire to help their defense against the Ottoman Empire's expansion in Asia Minor, and in 1401 he was appointed Governor of Genoa in Italy after Charles conquered it in 1396. He also defeated King Janus of Cyprus' attempt to retake Famagusta on Cyprus, but by 1409 the Republic of Genoa had freed itself from the Kingdom of France. In 1415, Le Maingre led the vanguard at the Battle of Agincourt, in which he was captured. He died in prison in Yorkshire in 1421.